The public can help protect children and dogs from heat-related illness. If you witness a child or dog left unattended in a hot car, don’t assume the owner will be “right back”. Also do not assume that the child or dog is safe since the windows are open a crack. You can save a life when you see a child or dog left in a parked car by calling the local police or 911 immediately. It is better to be safe than sorry.
Archives for June 2012
Hot Summer Cars & Sleeping Children
When leaving a vehicle, check to make sure everyone is out of the car. This includes all pets and kids. Do not overlook any children who have fallen asleep in the car.
Parked Car Danger
On a 70-degree day, even with car windows slightly rolled down, the temperature inside a car can exceed 120 degrees in 20 minutes and 150 degrees in 40 minutes. At those temperatures it does not take long for children or pets to become sick. Left in this situation children and dogs can become dehydrated, overheated, pass out, or die.
Playground Injuries: Trampolines
Problem: Kids can be injured using trampolines. Injuries usually occur when two or more kids jump on the trampoline at the same time. 60-70% of trampoline injuries happen when more than one child is on the trampoline. One study found that the younger and smaller of the two kids was 14 times more likely than the bigger kid to be injured. This is due to the greater force from the heavier kid, which tends to bounce the lighter child up and off the trampoline.
Solution: Due to thousands of head injuries and fractures caused by trampolines every year, the best solution is to not use them. However if a trampoline is to be used, only one person at a time should be on it. Also an adult should supervise anytime a child uses a trampoline.
Playground Injuries: Elbow Fractures From Monkey Bars
Problem: One of the main reasons for elbow fractures in children is from falls from playground monkey bars.
Solution: Do not allow your child to use monkey bars if they have concrete or asphalt under them. Grass, soil and packed earth surfaces are not much better for cushioning falls and should be avoided too. Make sure the playgrounds your family does use has a soft thick surface to cushion a child’s fall under the monkey bars. Rubber mats and wood chips about 12 inches deep are the most ideal surfaces.
Controversial School Fundraising: Needham, MA
As some schools consider soliciting private individuals and companies to purchase naming rights, others would rather make do without. Needham Public Schools in Needham, MA do not allow sizeable grants or gifts unless there are no strings attached. This means that Needham will not permit large private donations in exchange for naming rights. In addition Needham Public Schools has a policy to not allow private donations that in their opinion would differently advantage a particular school or group within the schools. They will not accept private funds if the money is to be for a “pet project” of the donor because they believe that can lead to inequity among the schools and student population.
Another reason why Needham Public Schools do not involve themselves with receiving donations in exchange for naming rights is that they want sustainable funding. Needham believes that even though a corporation may support the school system with donations for a period of time, this money would not be available forever. If the Needham Public Schools becomes dependent on private money to fund particular programs or teachers, these programs would face rapid elimination if the private money were removed.
What do you think about school systems like Needham, MA that refuse large sums of money in exchange for naming rights? Send us an email and let us know.
Controversial School Fundraising: Newton, MA
Schools desperate for funding during a sluggish economy have started to turn to private companies and individuals for financial support. For example Newton, MA’s aldermen are deciding on a controversial proposal by the Newton Schools Foundation. The plan is to raise as much as $6 million for educational technology for the Newton Public Schools by selling naming rights to high school spaces.
The district wants to expand the wireless capacity at schools, test out iPads, and offer teachers additional training. This however would cost them approximately $5.6 million over three years. That is far more than the current $1 million annual technology infrastructure budget. If the plan is approved, they should be able to fund all of this technology but at what cost?
The controversy with the naming rights issue comes down to the philosophical question of how much private commercial branding should be brought into the public schools. Is it morally acceptable to allow a private company into a public building and promote their product? Another issue is if Newton, MA were to allow naming rights, what names or types of businesses would be allowed and what may be deemed inappropriate? This easy corporate money may come at the cost of promoting items that for one reason or another some may find offensive. A part of the building could be named after a soft drink, candy bar, sneaker company that runs a foreign sweatshop, or a magazine or newspaper that has a slanted point of view.
The Newburyport Education Foundation has been selling naming rights for a few years. They have been using some of the money raised to update technology throughout the Newburyport Public Schools. They maintain that this money is used for underfunded items such as technology and not for funding basic school needs. Their approach is to sell naming rights as a tool to motivate large donors to donate money and recognize them for their contribution. They have raised as much as $1 million in three years.
Playground Injuries: Slides
Problem: Children may be injured on playground slides by crashing into each other. This happens when a child comes down the slide too soon after the child in front of them.
Solution: Make sure that your child becomes aware of the child sliding in front of them. Tell them not to go down until the previous child is off the slide completely.
Playground Injuries: Leg Fractures/Breaks on Slides
Playgrounds are often associated with accidental injuries. Unfortunately, children are prone to a variety of injuries, whether on the playground, jumping on trampolines or playing sports, such as football or gymnastics. The next several posts will address some of the more common playground injuries and how to prevent them.
Problem: Kids can receive leg fractures on slides. When a parent goes down a slide with a child, sometimes a child’s foot can get stuck on the slide while the parent continues to slide down behind the child with a downward force that can break the small leg. According to a study, 14% of leg fractures among kids at a Long Island hospital in an 11-month period occurred from kids riding down slides with their parents.
Solution: Parents should never ride down slides with their kids at the same time.